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msbreviews

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Since Wonder Woman that the DCEU has not missed a beat. Even though the latter is still my favorite of the universe, I have mostly a positive opinion about Justice League, Aquaman, and Shazam! Yes, these are not the greatest comic-book movies of all-time, but I would be lying if I denied that I was entertained. Birds of Prey follows the same path: it's fun, action-heavy, and it boasts a phenomenal cast. It has some issues regarding the actual plot and a few characters, but I'll get there.
First of all, let me get the mandatory compliments to Margot Robbie's performance out of the way. If there's a DC character better than Harley Quinn for Robbie to portray, please let me know, because I think she's absolutely perfect as a lunatic, over-the-top psychiatrist-turned-psychopath. Suicide Squad might be a total mess, but I doubt anyone denies how Robbie fits seamlessly into the Harley persona. From her looks to the way she speaks and from her physical movement to her facial expressions, there's just no better casting.
She embodies the whole film's chaotic vibe and even contributes to the (very) colorful set design. However, she's not the only one who delivers a spectacular performance. Jurnee Smollett-Bell offers a surprisingly captivating display as Dinah Lance / Black Canary. Even though Harley Quinn is the main character, I found myself caring a lot about Dinah. Her way of living suits the character's personality like a glove, and she's undoubtedly the best-written secondary character of the movie. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the others, and this is one of my biggest issues.
It's a film packed with cliches and attempts of making the characters aware of those cliches, which is also, well, something pretty overused. What's more generic? Having the bad guy telling the hero their masterplan or having the hero stating how the bad guy is incredibly dumb by thinking of doing that? At first, I laughed, and I thought it was funny the way Christina Hodson was avoiding to write straight-up cliche characters by making everyone else aware of the way these talk or move.
But the whole "I know you're cliche, so you can get away with saying or doing cliche things" only works for a couple of scenes, not an entire movie. This is why I wasn't able to connect with Renee Montoya or care about her narrative at all. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is one of my favorite actresses, but she has the least screentime of the entire cast. I never criticize a film for not giving an actor/actress I like a more important role (unlike other people, I believe it would be unfair to do so). Still, I do complain if I think a particular character should have been given more screentime, which is the case of Huntress.
I find her backstory way more exciting and emotionally investing than Rosie Perez's character, but sadly Huntress' personal story serves only as a not-that-surprising third act twist. There are several past-present transitions in the storytelling, most work, but some feel extremely abrupt. Nevertheless, Winstead is outstanding every single time she's on camera! Ewan Mcgregor offers a good performance as the villain, but he leads me to my other major issue: the central plot. Trivia time: a MacGuffin is an object, device, or event necessary to the narrative and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself.
The thread that connects every single character is based on one of the most overused MacGuffins ever. Now, don't get me wrong: a MacGuffin is NOT a synonym of bad writing or of a bad plot! It's merely something that leads to nothing. Having in mind that Birds of Prey is a character-driven movie, a plot centered around a MacGuffin is not unusual. As long as every character works, the primary story can simply be a passenger (Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood applies this method). However, in Birds of Prey, not every character has an interesting story...
Basically, Christina Hodson's screenplay isn't exactly bad, but it isn't great too. Just like the film, it has its ups and downs, and I saved some of the ups for last because I do want to end this review on a positive note. Finally, a DCEU movie where the action isn't overwhelmed with CGI, but with detailed choreography and long takes instead! Thank you, Cathy Yan, for bringing some of the best action sequences in this universe. Even if the third act gets a little sloppy due to the amount of characters, it's still a very satisfying ending. The score beautifully accompanies the action, and the visuals are truly gorgeous to look at. The comedy bits are on-point, I laughed quite often, but my final remark goes to a topic I rarely address...
Birds of Prey is a filmmaking lesson on how to produce an incredibly diverse movie without it feeling forced or unnatural. Only AFTER leaving the theater, I acknowledged the fact that the cast and characters are from various races, cultures, and have different sexual preferences. Why? Because this film doesn't waste its runtime by having its characters mention how black, white, Latinas, Chinese, gay, or whatever they are. They simply are what they are, and we all have eyes to see them. Congrats to Yan, Hodson, and everyone else who decided to treat the characters as if they're humans like every one of us.
In the end, Birds of Prey (and the ridiculously long subtitle) continues DCEU's streak of (at least) good movies since Wonder Woman came out. With a phenomenal cast led by an outstanding Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Cathy Yan delivers some of the best action of the entire universe in a genuinely entertaining superhero flick. A colorful, chaotic, and fun vibe is present throughout the whole runtime, as well as a pretty neat score. However, Christina Hodson's screenplay lacks creativity. The main plot revolves around the most overused MacGuffin ever, and some characters are straight-up taken from the book of cliches. It's a generic comic-book film with a formulaic narrative, but one that possesses enough fun and entertainment to overlook the typical story.
Rating: B-

kmai01

Pretty good Movie, I did not expect Harvey Quinn can kick ass like that. I can see some guy can be turn off this movie because all women hero team. I find it very entertaining and well made.

TalisBriedis

Garbage.
Nothing, and I REALLY MEAN NOTHING good to say about this.

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

I really dug “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” because it is unlike any movie I’ve seen before. There are the conventional-minded and flashy action scenes that accompany most superhero characters, but this is a violent, R-rated, naughty-joke, potty-mouthed comic book tour de force made for women over 25. It’s a boisterous good time for feminists and girl nerds everywhere.
The film is told from the twisted and deliciously sarcastic point of view of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), ex-girlfriend of the Joker. When the evil Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) puts out a hit on a young petty thief (Ella Jay Basco), the most nefarious villains turn Gotham City upside down looking for her. When Harley crosses paths with Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), the women learn they have no choice but to team up in order to take Sionis down once and for all.
The heartbeat of the film lies in Robbie’s iconic character interpretation of Harley Quinn. She is terrific in making her naughty character with a mean streak easy to love. Harley isn’t exactly a woman you want to emulate, but it sure would be fun to hang out and be friends with her.
All of the supporting performances here really are first-rate too. McGregor chews scenery with audacious glee, and his villain is truly terrifying. With the addition of a diverse, kick-ass female supporting cast playing equally bad-ass superheros, the film takes a multicultural feminist slant that thankfully doesn’t seem forced by committee.
“Birds of Prey” is the type of scrappy mayhem that gives a sparkle of excitement to the mostly bland and boring DCEU. It’s colorful and chaotic, reckless and energetic, and I am surprised that I enjoyed this movie as much as I did. This is a really, really fun spectacle that could bring new fans to the genre.

I am afraid to say,, but after watching Suicide Squad which was pretty good.
This is a let down and I was looking forward to watching it.
After watching this I think if there was a plot/story behind the movie, I couldn't see it it was all over the place and nothing seemed to follow.
All I can say about this movie is the Actors/Actresses were paid to be stupid and not funny, I hoped for better things and got trash.

Adishake

**Very refreshing and funny**, The movie is very different from like any team-up movie I've ever seen, it will make you forget that it's a superhero movie entirely it feels like it's just a crazy movie with criminal minds all over the city moving quite freely in fancy dress until one scene of Black Canary where you realise yeah you're watching a super-hero movie they gota show their powers. **It's violent and humorous and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is Fantastic and I really loved the Crossbow Killer**,
DCEU has come up with really great works since the Justice League (ignoring the Aquaman) and if you're counting the upcoming DCEU movies then you'll see a very great future for DC with Batman, Shazam 2 and Wonder Woman sequel.

Gimly

If COVID-19 ushered cinemas off this mortal coil, I'm kind of strangely okay with telling people this was the last thing I ever got to see on the big screen.
_Final rating:★★★★ - Very strong appeal. A personal favourite._

JPV852

Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn was one of the few highlights of Suicide Squad but once this one was announced, I felt indifferent and the trailers didn't do much to change that to the point I skipped this in theaters. Watching it now, I came away shrugging my shoulders. Some of the action scenes, supervised by Chad Stahelski, were okay but the pacing was all off and the actual BIRDS OF PREY, were sidelined and don't really get any memorable moments. Similarly, Ewan McGregor was alright but a weak villain.
As a fan of the Batman comic book, outside of HQ, none of these resemble their counterparts, most notably Cassandra Cain who was a great character (trained as an assassin as a little girl by her father, David Cain, before being taken in by Bruce Wayne).
IDK, in the end this was a misfire and don't think it was the fault of an inexperienced director (using the same script, not sure anyone else would've made all that much better). Could be a case of being too much of a vanity project for Robbie. **2.75/5**

Comments

anonymous 3 months ago

Harry Potter escaping from Prison...interesting plot.

anonymous 3 months ago

u made the comment on wrong post... sigh

anonymous 3 months ago

no he has not that's the point!

anonymous 3 months ago

ESCAPE
from
AZKABAN

anonymous 3 months ago

Now i'm as confused as you obviously are. visit the optometrist first then if that dont help, a psychiatrist

anonymous 3 months ago

Is she wearing short shorts and lots of ass shots of Margot? That's all I really care about...

anonymous 3 months ago

Pretty sure Margot made a deal to NOT dress like that.

anonymous 3 months ago

so, she accepted the role, but didn't want to compromise for the role.
To think there are actors that changed their bodies so dramatically for a specific role, but she doesn't want to wear shorts...

anonymous 3 months ago

Its call contract negotiations.

anonymous 2 months ago

It's called Get Woke Go Broke. People don't watch movies to be lectured to. The original character wore tight revealing clothing. Deal with it, and leave your politics at the door.

anonymous 2 months ago

Aren't you inserting your own politics by objecting to media due to the stances of the artists that create it? It just seems so bizarre that the modern consumer seems to be so entitled that they think all forms of art should be catered to them.

anonymous 2 months ago

She's also the producer, so she could make whatever deal with herself that she wanted.

anonymous 2 months ago

she pretty much is a producer on this film and it wasn't getting made without her, tough break kiddo

anonymous 3 months ago

she should just do porn at this point.

anonymous 3 months ago

Watching an entire film for ass shots lol. You do know she's appeared naked in a movie, yeah?

anonymous 3 months ago

Which one?

anonymous 3 months ago

The wolf of wall street. Clean shaven.

anonymous 2 months ago

Leo tapped that too bet you

anonymous 3 months ago

you're whacking off to a body double boys

anonymous 3 months ago

pixels are pixels

anonymous 3 months ago

Actaully it's really her... that was all covered in a interview with kimmel

anonymous 3 months ago

It is called lying. Celebs do it all the time.

anonymous 2 months ago

It's called acting. Celebs do it all the time

anonymous 3 months ago

She does wear short and Canary boobies bounce pretty nice

anonymous 3 months ago

I think there a lotta movies out there that cover that section of interest.

anonymous 3 months ago

It's not like there's some sort of world wide web for looking up "short shorts" and "ass shots".

anonymous 3 months ago

Yeah but the entire point of star power is that people want to see HER in short shorts and ass shots

anonymous 3 months ago

What Ass? Margot has an Extended Back, but just like Brie Larsen, she clearly has ZERO booty in the ass department.

anonymous 3 months ago

Wrong! She got no ass in the booty! Bootyass and boobieboobs hooray!!!!!!

anonymous 3 months ago

In the Ass Department, more is not necessarily better.

anonymous 3 months ago

Well, actually...

anonymous 3 months ago

She has a Pancake Ass.

anonymous 3 months ago

could've though of a longer name maybe?

anonymous 3 months ago

Well they did change the title to Harley Quinn: Birds Of Prey, hoping it would do better in the theaters.

anonymous 3 months ago

this is movie took out everything people wanted to see.... no action, no booty no bouncing ta ta's no violence. its another PC trash pushing the agenda

anonymous 3 months ago

It literally got its R rating because of violence and sexual content. I have no idea what you're smoking.

anonymous 3 months ago

They took all that out, and put in scenes of people getting their faces cut off.

anonymous 2 months ago

PC master race.

anonymous 3 months ago

Just watch the Harley Quinn tv show, much, much better!

anonymous 3 months ago

I second this!

anonymous 3 months ago

I can't even muster enthusiasm to pirate this piece of crap

anonymous 3 months ago

Joker raised the bar so high this movie looks like a parody

anonymous 3 months ago

this is kind of a parody, never meant to be a serious movie and if youre looking for that, well that's why they have movies like Joker too

anonymous 3 months ago

I wish they used Elsa Jean as her double

anonymous 3 months ago

Pretty mediocre film and none of the characters actually looked like the characters they're supposed to be portraying. What exactly was their target audience?

anonymous 3 months ago

comic book guy from the simpsons

anonymous 3 months ago

God i can't believe i watched this crap to the end!

anonymous 2 months ago

There were literally 2 people in the theater when I went, me and one other dude. He left about 30-40 minutes in, I was gone about 15 minutes after that. This movie is GOD AWFUL. I enjoyed Suicide Squad, saw that like 5 times, but this...oof this was horrible.

anonymous 3 months ago

I never understood why anyone would visit a place called pretoria ... like trusting a guy named sinestro or the disepticons ... just seems like bad idea

anonymous 3 months ago

I enjoyed the movie just fine, but not knowing the back story or much of the "comic world" or whatever, at the end I was left thinking I got ripped off. How, because they expected me to believe that a psycho chick would team up and play all nice with 4 other (potentially) less psycho chicks. I don't buy it. I mean even relatively sane females can't get along, how the hell are crazy ones going to?

anonymous 3 months ago

Good thing a ripped movie prevents you from being ripped off

anonymous 3 months ago

I am a woman, and I endorse this message.

anonymous 2 months ago

10/10 quality
2/10 in entertainment

anonymous 3 months ago

"Sh*t" is right.

anonymous 3 months ago

i cannot choose between this and The Love Guru being the worst movie ever made.

anonymous 3 months ago

When chick directors hire muscular red shirt guys for fight scenes you just know they are the same as dudes. Not a bad movie if you dont care too much for the plot